1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to telecommunications, and more particularly to network communications, and data center communications.
2. Background of Related Art
An equipment case is used to protect encased equipment against environmental factors and damage due to shock, etc. A conventional rack case is an equipment case with a rack (typically a standardized 19 inch rack) mounted to the inside for protection of rack-mounted equipment, e.g., rack-mountable servers, routers, switches, etc. A rack case is ruggedized to protect internal equipment from physical damage and environmental factors such as rain, harsh temperatures, etc.
A rack case typically includes a standardized rack frame for mounting of rack-mountable equipment. The height of each piece of equipment mounted in a rack case must be a multiple of a rack unit (RU). One rack unit (RU) is equivalent to 1.75 inches. The width of a piece of equipment mounted in a rack case must be 19 inches wide (if the rack case encompasses a 19 inch rack). A standardized 19 inch rack is widely used for storing technical equipment, such as computer equipment, network equipment, etc.
Rack cases able to withstand harsh environments are widely used in military/department of defense (DoD) applications. For example, a military unit may use a rack case to store portable networking equipment at a remote location. Moreover, equipment mounted in a rack case may be used to set up communications networks for receipt/delivery of mission critical information. Portable/deployable communications products are typically integrated into a smallest practical package to meet the needs of military personnel on remote assignment.
Cisco™ has manufactured a rack mountable 2811 integrated services router (ISR) that is 1 rack unit (RU) in size (i.e. 1.75 inches tall).
FIG. 6 depicts a conventional Cisco™ 2811 integrated services router (ISR).
The 2811 integrated services router (ISR) 600 is currently deployed in thousands of telecommunications systems, e.g., department of defense (DoD) systems, commercial systems, etc. However, the Cisco™ 2811 integrated services router (ISR) 600 has been discontinued and is not being replaced with a similarly sized suitable product.
Cisco™ has developed a 2911 integrated services router (ISR) to replace the end of life (EoL) 2811 integrated services router (ISR) 600. However, the 2911 integrated services router (ISR) (and other commercially available suitable replacement routers) has a height of 2 rack units (RU) and thus does not fit in the one rack unit (RU) space previously/currently occupied by the 2811 integrated services router (ISR) 600.